Voorsitter, as 'n plattelandse vrou sal ek vandag my plig versuim as ek nie hulde bring aan mev Wilhelmina Ruiters, 'n 46-jarige plaaswerker van Rocklands, wat met behulp van die Hauptfleisch Van der Merwe Stigting van Bronaar Plase haar studies as eerstejaarstudent in maatskaplike werk aan die Universiteit van Suid-Afrika begin het.
As gemeenskapswerker het hierdie vrou twee jaar gelede haar matriek deur Adult Basic Education and Training voltooi. Sy is tans druk besig om voor te berei vir haar eerste eksamen op 23 en 24 Maart aan Unisa. Trots was ek toe sy nogal erken het dat, alhoewel alles in Engels en nie in haar moedertaal, Afrikaans, gedoen word nie, sy niks sal toelaat om haar te verhoed om haar doel te bereik nie.
Nog so 'n vrou wat lank reeds besef het dat geletterdheid 'n kardinale rol in die bemagtiging van persone, veral in die platteland, speel, is mev Stella Meduna. Toe sy nie 'n klaskamer in Uitenhage in die Oos-Kaap kon bekom nie, het sy 'n bus gekoop en daarin 'n klaskamer begin. Sulke inisiatief van vroue, wat lankal reeds besef het dat honger en armoede deur geletterdheid bekamp kan word, moet aan die groot klok gehang word. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Mrs H LAMOELA: Chairperson, as a rural woman I would be failing in my duty if I did not pay tribute to Mrs Wilhelmina Ruiters, a 46-year-old farm worker from Rocklands who, with the assistance of the Hauptfleisch Van der Merwe Foundation of Bronaar Farms, has commenced with her studies as a first-year student in social work at the University of South Africa.
Two years ago, as a community worker, this woman completed her matric through Adult Basic Education and Training. She is presently preparing for her first examinations at Unisa on 23 and 24 March. I was proud when she even conceded that, although everything was in English and not in her mother tongue, Afrikaans, she was not going to allow anything to keep her from reaching her goal.
Another such woman who realised long ago that literacy plays a critical role in the empowerment of people, especially in the rural areas, is Mrs Stella Meduna. When she could not obtain a classroom at Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape, she purchased a bus and established a classroom in it. Such initiative, from women who have long since realised that hunger and poverty can be combated through literacy, should be widely broadcast.]
Stella Meduna and Wilhelmina Ruiters, we salute you.
As the 2015 deadline for the Millennium Development Goals draws closer, the challenge to eradicate poverty and hunger and empower rural women goes beyond meeting the goals set. Success will be measured in terms of lives saved, of women uplifted, educated, skilled, resourced and improved to the extent of them being able to fend for themselves and their families.
Millennium Development Goal 3, and I quote from the report of 2011:
... is clear on the progress made by our country in increasing the proportion of women in decision-making positions in the political sphere and, as stated, ranks third globally on women's participation in Parliament. However, it failed dismally when it comes to progress made for rural women.
Prominent issues such as access to adequate basic and higher education for girls, a lack of gender-sensitive education, safety and the abuse of women and girls are but a few issues still violating rural women and girls' rights to freedom, dignity and equality.
Dissemination of information, which is a great tool for empowerment, especially for rural women, is of pivotal importance and should be considered a priority in order to allow these women to be well informed about their rights - which they so badly need in our democracy and which are, in so many ways, often violated. Information should be distributed, especially in their own languages, at libraries, information centres, in communities and on farms and, where necessary, explained, to allow women to take part in issues concerning their wellbeing. Far too few engage in programmes set out by departments, if these ever reach the women in rural areas.
Voorsitter, jong vroue op die platteland word daagliks met geweldige uitdagings gekonfronteer. Baie van hierdie jong vroue moet f ver afstande afl na die naaste skool - wat reeds swak toegerus is - f hulle moet onderwysers trotseer wat geensins toegewyd is nie en waar infrastruktuur een van hul grootste uitdagings is. Al hierdie faktore plaas geweldige druk op jong meisies, wat dan ook nog huishoudings moet bestuur waar ouers hulle deur MIV/Vigs ontval het.
Swak dienslewering op die platteland - en hier kan ons weer verwys na die oop-toiletsaga van Viljoenskroon, waar die menswaardigheid van vroue, veral arm plattelandse vroue, geweldig bedreig word - het 'n beduidende impak op die lewe van vroue.
Twee weke gelede is rou menslike afval wat in strate in Ritchie, Noord-Kaap uitloop, bespeur. Die gesondheidsrisiko vir vroue en kinders het 'n negatiewe impak op die voortbestaan van arm plattelandse vroue. Le beloftes van die huidige burgemeester, me Agnes Ntlangula, dra geensins by tot 'n beter lewe vir hierdie arm plattelandse vroue nie.
Hierdie toedrag van sake het 'n groot sosiopolitieke en sosioekonomiese impak op plattelandse gemeenskappe en, alhoewel ons groot strategiese planne het om armoede en die bemagtiging van plattelandse vroue in werking te stel, het ons reeds lankal vergeet van al die ongemplementeerde stukke wetgewing waarby hierdie vroue so goed kon baat. "Food banks", soos dit bekend staan, kan groot uitkoms en verligting vir honger-geteisterdes in die platteland bring. Ongelukkig word dit slegs in groot dorpe of stede aangetref. Plattelandse vroue is dus aan hul eie lot oorgelaat vir oorlewing.
Voedingskemas by skole op die platteland bring uitkoms vir kinders en selfs families, maar gedurende skoolvakansies is daar geen heenkome nie. Ons wil regtig nooit weer 'n situasie waarneem soos die een waar drie kinders in 'n mielieland in Noordwes omgekom het nie. Gemeenskapswerkers moet hul plig nakom en help dat identiteitsdokumente betyds vir arme, soms ongeletterde, plattelandse vroue bekom word.
Gereelde monitering moet geskied om projekte wat gemplementeer word, te evalueer. Nie-regeringsorganisasies implementeer reeds 60% van wetgewing, tog word hul toelaes hul ontneem, soos nou weer die geval in plattelandse dele van Limpopo. Is dit hoe ons vroue wil bemagtig?
Hierdie situasie dra by tot versukkelde omstandighede en groot uitdagings tot oorlewing op die platteland. Besprekings van hierdie situasie met provinsiale departemente is van kardinale belang. Hierdie instansies gaan reeds gebuk onder groot tekorte van broodnodige dienste soos byvoorbeeld maatskaplike werkers, om net een te noem. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Chairperson, young women in the rural areas are confronted on a daily basis with enormous challenges. Many of these young women have to travel long distances to the nearest school - which is already poorly equipped - or they have to brave teachers who are not in any way committed and where infrastructure presents one of their biggest challenges. All of these factors are placing enormous pressure on young girls, who also still have to manage households where parents have been lost to HIV/Aids.
Poor service delivery in the rural areas - and here we take another look at the Viljoenskroon open toilet saga, where the dignity of women, especially poor rural women, is under threat - has a significant impact on the lives of women.
Two weeks ago raw human waste was observed spilling out into the streets at Ritchie, Northern Cape. The health risk to women and children has a negative impact on the survival of poor rural women. Empty promises by the current mayor, Ms Agnes Ntlagula, will in no way contribute to a better life for these poor rural women.
This state of affairs has a big sociopolitical and socioeconomic impact on rural communities and although we have vast strategic plans to combat poverty and effect the empowerment of rural women, we have long since forgotten about all the unimplemented pieces of legislation from which these women could have benefited so well. Food banks, as they are known, could be a great relief for the hunger-stricken in the rural areas. Unfortunately they are only found in large towns or cities. Rural women are therefore left to their own devices for survival.
Feeding schemes at schools in the rural areas are providing relief for children and even families, but during school holidays there is no refuge for them. Never again do we want to witness a situation such as the one where three children died in a maize field in North West. Community workers should perform their duties and assist poor and often illiterate rural women in obtaining their identity documents on time.
Constant monitoring must take place to evaluate projects that are being implemented. Non-government organisations are already implementing 60% of legislation, but still their allocations are being withheld, as is currently the case in rural parts of Limpopo. Is this the way in which we want to empower women?
This situation is contributing to the ruinous circumstances and big challenges regarding survival in the rural areas. Discussions with provincial departments regarding this situation are of vital importance. These institutions are already burdened by sizeable shortages of much- needed services such as, for instance, social workers, to name just one.]
The Phelophepa Train with its 17 carriages could, for the past 17 years, only reach five of the nine provinces of our country. Budget constraints are given as the main reason. This train provides health care services to the poor in the rural areas. Witzenberg - which consists of Ceres, Wolseley, Tulbagh and Op-die-Berg, with approximately 1 200 farms and 80 000 residents - will never have the privilege of sharing our health care services from this train, as the railway line between Wolseley and Ceres was closed down in 1995, without any participation of the community on this matter. Public-private and government partnerships need to be explored so as to allow this community to take part in much-needed services rendered by the Phelopepha as well as the loveLife trains, as teenage pregnancies and tuberculosis are growing and these young girls will again become the victims of poverty, abuse and hunger. Urgent measures surrounding these issues should be investigated.
Terwyl daar redelike vordering met die implementering van sekere stukke wetgewing rakende vroueregte gemaak is, moet ons aan u oordra dat vroue, en veral arm plattelandse vroue, nie meer bereid is om te wag op beter dae wat deur le beloftes aan ons voorgehou word nie. Daadwerklike optrede in familieverband, waarby mans en seuns ingesluit word, om gouer groter hoogtes in gelykheid van vroue te bekom, is kritiek. Beleide rakende die welsyn van vroue, veral in plattelandse gebiede, moet bespoedig word, om sodoende doelwitte te kan bereik, veral omdat die grootste persentasie van plattelandse vroue nog nie op 'n onafhanklike inkomste kan staatmaak nie. [Tyd verstreke.] [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[While there has been reasonable progress with the implementation of certain pieces of legislation concerning women's rights, we have to communicate to you the fact that rural women, and poor rural women in particular, are no longer prepared to wait for the better days that are being held up to us in empty promises. Decisive action in the family context, where men and boys are included, to attain higher levels of equality for women much sooner, is essential. Policies concerning the welfare of women, particularly in rural areas, must be expedited in order to reach certain targets, mainly because the largest percentage of rural women are as yet unable to rely on an independent income. [Time expired.] [Applause.]]